The LUSC sponsored Camden Haven Redbacks will urgently need to arrest their slow starts, despite claiming a 4-3 win over the Macleay Valley Rangers on Saturday.
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The win keeps the Redbacks at the top of the table but coach Simon Hancox will know his side needs to get mentally ready for each contest.
"We certainly weren't happy with the effort in the first half," said Hancox.
"We just didn't seem to want to get in to the grind with the opposition who were a physical side, but we knew if we tried to match them physically that we would have a chance to square up, even though we were down a man."
A scrappy and lethargic effort saw the home side concede two soft goals from their own errors through the middle of the first half to find themselves 2-0 down, with the tough start compounded after Jaryd Shaw was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Redbacks got on the scoresheet deep into injurytime whena Toby Otto shot was blocked by the Rangers defence. Otto reclaimed the ball and his first touch pass found Jeremy Robinson who slotted hom in the far side netting.
The second half opened with Jeremy Robinson scoring from a sensational left foot strike from distance just six minute after the resumption.
The Redbacks looked much more up to the task, but another crucial error cost them dearly with a scrappy Rangers goal creating a one goal deficit again with 35 minutes to play.
The one man advantage Rangers enjoyed disappeared mid-way through the half after their striker was also sent off for a second yellow card offence and the Redbacks looked dominant and ready to climb back into the game.
Only 5 minutes later, Captain Ryan Squires evened up the scores with a well taken finish from close range off a free kick and you could feel the tension in the air.
Three minutes from fulltime a rampaging run through midfield from Nick Cummins saw him beat his defender and smash the ball in to the back of the net for a late victory.
The Redbacks now travel to Tuffins Lane to take on Port FC on Saturday and whilst they are holding up the bottom end of the ladder, is always a tough fixture for the Redbacks.
Premier League table. Redbacks (28), Wallis Lake (24), Taree (21), Rangers (19), Tuncurry (17), Kempsey Saints (17), Port United (12), Port FC (9), Port Saints (7).